waterstone sharpening, I suck.

Kitten Party

Kitten Party

Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
1,125
Hi All,

I have always sharpened my knives with rods over the years but decided to step up my game and get some stones. I have a 400, 1000, 6000 grit. I have been getting a polished edge and feel like I have been reaching the apex since I am forming a bur on the 400 and 1000 grit stones but I can even slice copy paper well with them when I am done.

First try was an PM2 S30v, spent about 15 minutes on the 400 trying to get the edge even, felt like I did a good job, spent the same amount on 1000 grit and it was just dull but looked clean and I could feel the bur form... IDK Tried on a byrd cara cara 2 thinking I could try on a faster sharpening steel, just not sure were I am going wrong because I cant get the MUCH sharper with just 30 seconds on a butchers steel...Maybe I am not spending enough time but I figured since I was forming a bur I was...Im pretty sure Im getting an even grind, I have been looking with a 30x loupe

If you know any good YT vids or channels let me know, I have been trying to do homework but cant find a lot of good tutorials.
 
Are they King stones? If not what brand do you have?

All but some premium waterstones will handle steels like S30V.
 
The 1000 and 6000 are king stones, the 400 is like whetstone company or something. I was having the same trouble with my 8cr13mov byrd though also
 
I think that I just might need to practice much more, was kind of just hoping for some helpful hints or obious begginer mistakes. I Just did my D2 Leek and seemed to have gotten a much sharper edge v0v
 
I'll be following this for sure. Funny enough, I just found out about King Stones about 2 hours ago and have been researching like a mad-man. I was also going to go with a 1000 grit and 6000 grit combo and begin to practice. Maybe have a 400 grit just in of chips or major re-profiling jobs.

I found some Murray Carter videos on YouTube, but they didn't go into much depth without having to purchase a DVD. I was just looking for a simple tutorial for a full flat grind on those stones.
 
Well I may just be being a little hard on myself. I just did my manix 2 LW in cts-bd1 in about 20 minutes and it shaves and cuts s-shapes in paper no problem, maybe I just didnt give the s30V enough time...
 
CalmAsHinduCows said:
I'll be following this for sure. Funny enough, I just found out about King Stones about 2 hours ago and have been researching like a mad-man. I was also going to go with a 1000 grit and 6000 grit combo and begin to practice. Maybe have a 400 grit just in of chips or major re-profiling jobs.

I found some Murray Carter videos on YouTube, but they didn't go into much depth without having to purchase a DVD. I was just looking for a simple tutorial for a full flat grind on those stones.
Click to expand...

That is the king stone that I got, it seemed to be the best value...
 
How is it that everyone only sees the king stones?

They are the bottom of the barrel stones in today's stone market. Old technology.

Your sharpened BD1 easily because it does not have the vanadium carbides like S30V. It's these carbides that make the king stones choke with somethng like S30V. You would need a harder abrasive like diamond for proper sharpening.
 
Jason B. said:
How is it that everyone only sees the king stones?

They are the bottom of the barrel stones in today's stone market. Old technology.

Your sharpened BD1 easily because it does not have the vanadium carbides like S30V. It's these carbides that make the king stones choke with somethng like S30V. You would need a harder abrasive like diamond for proper sharpening.
Click to expand...

I noticed this behaviour too Jason - you are "casting pearls before swine". Folks get great advice from experienced BF members but usually go the opposite way. Some people just have to invent the wheel themselves! That has brought me to loosing interest in posting in areas that I may have experience/knowledge in.

No offence here though, I am pretty sure I was the same.
 
I fell into my King stones over a decade ago - they were the only waterstone that the local woodworkers supply shop carried. I never did get any good with them at the time, so when I picked them back up a few years ago that is what I started back with and picked up a few more stones to fill out my set. I also picked up some Norton waterstones about 8-9 years ago and same thing - didn't get very strong results so shelved them.

When I gave it another try, I started out with the Kings and on the steels I was using produced great results. Then I got into the Nortons and realized just how different one brand and type could be from another.

The Kings are a great stone for carbon steel and low RC stainless - similar to what Arkansas stones are best at. On modern sport knives made from higher RC and/or high carbide stainless they are not a good choice.
 
awestib said:
I noticed this behaviour too Jason - you are "casting pearls before swine". Folks get great advice from experienced BF members but usually go the opposite way. Some people just have to invent the wheel themselves! That has brought me to loosing interest in posting in areas that I may have experience/knowledge in.

No offence here though, I am pretty sure I was the same.
Click to expand...

I was just recommended king stones...on BF, sorry.
 
Last edited:
Jason B. said:
How is it that everyone only sees the king stones?

They are the bottom of the barrel stones in today's stone market. Old technology.

Your sharpened BD1 easily because it does not have the vanadium carbides like S30V. It's these carbides that make the king stones choke with somethng like S30V. You would need a harder abrasive like diamond for proper sharpening.
Click to expand...

OK, So i should just be spending some more time on the s30V then, that's what I was thinking.

I did a bit of research on sharpening media and it seemed that king stones were well recommended, So you recommend diamond stones exclusively?
 
awestib said:
I noticed this behaviour too Jason - you are "casting pearls before swine". Folks get great advice from experienced BF members but usually go the opposite way. Some people just have to invent the wheel themselves! That has brought me to loosing interest in posting in areas that I may have experience/knowledge in.

No offence here though, I am pretty sure I was the same.
Click to expand...

I am asking for advice. It's fairly insulting to assume that I am unwilling to listen when I have in no way displayed that and very little advice was given to listen to.
 
Kitten Party said:
@ HeavyHanded Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...

Another bit - you can get the most from those stones on tougher steels by keeping them rinsed well and if you have a rubbing stone to keep the waterstone from glazing or loading up it makes a big difference when used periodically. They will still struggle but will work to a fairly rough finish. After that it becomes very challenging to get good results, though I have polished to 6k some relatively tough stainless - a number of the Sandvik steels.

The high Vanadium stuff is petty much a no go, but again, you should be able to get a working edge to the 1000 grit - I wouldn't bother with the 6k.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Another bit - you can get the most from those stones on tougher steels by keeping them rinsed well and if you have a rubbing stone to keep the waterstone from glazing or loading up it makes a big difference when used periodically. They will still struggle but will work to a fairly rough finish. After that it becomes very challenging to get good results, though I have polished to 6k some relatively tough stainless - a number of the Sandvik steels.

The high Vanadium stuff is petty much a no go, but again, you should be able to get a working edge to the 1000 grit - I wouldn't bother with the 6k.
Click to expand...
Will do. Looks like I'll be getting some diamond stones for the higher rc knives I have. Suggestions?
 
Kitten Party said:
I am asking for advice. It's fairly insulting to assume that I am unwilling to listen when I have in no way displayed that and very little advice was given to listen to.
Click to expand...

Fair enough - you may not know who is the person giving you advice! I must have gotten up on the wrong foot this morning - once again. Apology!
I guess collecting as many information as possible and applying them to find your own way is reasonable!
 
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